Columbia University Libraries/Information Services (CUL/IS) hosted its first assessment and service improvement mini-conference on Thursday, June 20th, 2013. The event, organized by the CUL/IS Assessment Program, was structured as an interactive poster session and included a diverse presentation of topics and methods from various CUL/IS divisions and affiliated libraries that demonstrated a deep commitment to service quality assessment and data-driven decision making.

Amidst ongoing transformations in how academic and research libraries support teaching, learning, and research, performance measurement and assessment activities have expanded to provide evidence and context for priority setting and decision-making. The number and diversity of posters presented during the event showed the wide variety of quantitative and qualitative methods being used for planning and service improvement in libraries and academic technologies at Columbia.

“Nisa Bakkalbasi, our outstanding assessment librarian, and the entire team of presenters and discussants are applauded for demonstrating the rigor and breadth of our assessment activities, and the culture of evaluation aimed at improving our collections, services, technologies, spaces and ourselves that has taken root across the organization,” said James G. Neal, vice president for information services and university librarian.

The mission of the CUL/IS Assessment Program is to foster a culture of assessment within the organization, to enable data-driven decision-making at all staff levels, and to promote information transparency in the work environment. The Assessment Program serves library users and staff through the systematic gathering, analysis, and use of high-quality, actionable data to improve library facilities, services, and resources, and guide library decision-making.

Columbia University Libraries is one of the top five academic research library systems in North America. The collections include over 13 million volumes, over 160,000 journals and serials, as well as extensive electronic resources, manuscripts, rare books, microforms, maps, and graphic and audio-visual materials. The Libraries employs more than 400 professional and support staff and hosts over 4.7 million visitors each year. The website of the Libraries is the gateway to its services and resources: library.columbia.edu.